Glückstadt, 26 March 2020 – Ten days ago, the German Federal Environment Agency published new award criteria for the Blue Angel label for graphical papers and cardboard made from 100% recycled paper (DE-UZ 14a).

One major change is that whiteness is now limited to a maximum of 100% (including UV content) in accordance with ISO 2470 and the maximum CIE whiteness is 135 as defined in DIN ISO 11475.

Previously recommendations, these things are now mandatory.

The Federal Environment Agency’s aim is to promote the use of low and medium quality waste papers and to avoid substances in production that are technically unnecessary. The idea is to halt the trend towards ever-whiter recycled papers, which are not needed for most applications.

Existing agreements on the use of the label are valid until the end of 2020, which means the new criteria will apply to Steinbeis office papers from 2021.

For the Steinbeis office paper range, the new award criteria will result in the discontinuation of Steinbeis PremiumWhite from 2021 onwards, as it will no longer meet the Blue Angel award criteria. However, we are confident that we will continue to offer a range of office papers that meet every requirement, with whiteness levels from ISO 70 to ISO 100 according to ISO 2470.